Where should I begin? Time seems to be getting away with me, and blogging hasn't been on my "to do" list for quite some time. I must though sit down and jot a few things so that I won't forget about them, and to share them with others as well.

Last Saturday October 14th, 2006 my youngest sister, Kimberley was married. We were all thrilled for her that she was finally marrying the guy she has been with for 5 years, and with whom she shares a child with. We have been busy planning and preparing for this joyous occasion. I helped make the invitations and the guest book. They both turned out so cute. My mom is the ultimate planner and not a single detail was left out. She got everything perfect down to the chocolate colored napkins, and gold napkin rings. It was beautiful! I am sad to say that I didn't get many pictures at all! I was too busy chasing after 2 kids. I did get this picture from Tiffany though of the 3 of us, and I think it is really cute. Kimberley looked like a radiant, beautiful bride. You could tell that her and Travis were both very happy to be man and wife. Travis gave a beautiful tribute to Kimberley and said he didn't know where he would be without her, probably not very happy. Their little girl Jayda was the flower girl and she looked so cute! She was happy to announce and tell everyone that, "Mommy & Daddy are getting married." She was thrilled! My mom is happy to have the wedding over with, she was exhausted with all the planning, working, and cooking meals for my dad's hunting clients. She had a full plate that is for sure. So now all of her girls are married and mothers to her grandkids. It is nice to have a new brother in law. I hope that he will feel welcome in our family.

I decided to have a kids Halloween party for Tyson. I feel it is a shame that the kids often only get to wear their costumes once. In the past our ward has done a trunk or treat for the kids, but for the past 2 years they haven't, which really is too bad, but I'm not the one in charge therefore I don't have control over what the Primary does. So instead I am having 10 of Tyson's friends over for a Costume Party. Tyson is SO excited. He could hardly wait to take the invitations I made to school today. I thought that I would decorate mini pumpkin and also sugar cookies. I am also looking for some kind of fun Halloween game we could play. It shouldn't be hard to entertain 10 3-5 year olds though.

It has been awhile since I have blogged...life has been busy. I'm not even sure where to start to catch up on what the Pilling family has been up to.

I recently finished reading "Inside My Heart," by Robin McGraw. It is a MUST read. It is such an inspiring book. I couldn't put it down. It really made me stop and think and re-evaluate a few things in my life. It is a book that I know I will find myself referring back to and reading more than once. If you need a pick me up, or just a good inspirational book to read...this is the ONE!

Fall is here and I have found myself baking up a STORM. Last weekend we celebrated Thanksgiving with my family. We weren't able to get together for this coming weekend so we had it a week earlier. I found myself thinking while we were cleaning up a wonderful dinner, "What am I going to do with all these left over cranberries?" It seems no turkey dinner is complete without them, but we hardly make a dent in the can. So I decided to search for a recipe to use up the left overs. So yesterday I made these delectable little cranberry cheesecake squares. So YUMMY!

Here is the recipe:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats and 3/4 cup of brown sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of this mixture and press the remaining mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.
Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese with sweetened condensed milk until light and fluffy. Stir in the lemon juice and spread the mixture evenly over the prepared crust.

3. Empty the can of cranberry sauce into a small bowl and stir in the cornstarch and brown sugar. Spoon over the cream cheese layer. Sprinkle the top with the reserved crust mixture.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until top is golden. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Tyson started soccer last Monday and he LOVED it. He kept telling Tyler and I that it was Super Dupper Fun! I am so happy he enjoyed himself. He can hardly wait for 2 weeks till his next game. Pictures to come.

I Did It!

I actually scrapbooked 2 lo's the other day. And right now I am in the middle of doing another LO. YES...my MoJo just may have come back. I am loving all the fun goodies I bought at my LSS. It is always so fun to play with new product. So here's to finding my mojo and hopefully I will start cranking out the pages. It has been fun for me to go back and look at the pictures I took over the summer. We really did do some fun things. Now I can't wait to put the memories on paper so they will never be forgotten.

On a totally different subject...I have had terrible back pain for over 2 weeks now. One day I bent over to mop the floor and a stabbing pain shot in my lower back. I have experience trouble with it before but never had I experienced this magnitude of pain. It literally took me 5 minutes before I could hobble over to the couch. I managed to get in for a massage but needless to say it didn't help, it only made it worse. Usually a massage will make it feel better, but not this time. So after going to the Dr. twice and with a fist full of medication I can finally function. I would rather have a baby any day than go through the pain I have been in. It has been terrible! So bad that I had to call Tyler in the middle of the night (he was out of town for work) and I was sobbing in pain. It hurt so much that I missed part of the season premier of Grey's Anatomy. Now you know I was in pain if I am going to miss Grey's! I went so far as to call a friend who is a pharmacist, and she came over with some med's that helped me at least sleep that night. But now...after the pain comes some relief. As long as I have some medication handy if it gets to painful, I can make it through the day. I am going to get acupuncture next week, maybe that will help. I am willing to try anything. I am thankful today because I haven't had to take any Tylenol 3...so that is a good sign & I hope I am on the road to recovery.

A Tear Jerker!

I came across this book recommendation on another blog. I am always drawn to what other people are reading, and I love to find a good book to curl up with. I am also always on the prowl for good kids books. Both of my boys love to read. I have read to them since I brought them home from the hospital and they have a love for books as I do. After picking up this book, Let Me Hold You Longer, from the library today, I took a few moment to quickly read it while I was getting supper ready. Wow is all I can say. It really made me stop and think about life and how quickly it passes by. We usually only think of our child's "firsts." First tooth, first steps, first day of school, first day on a sports team etc. But do you ever stop and think about your child's "lasts?" The last time you nurse them, the last time you hold them while they drink their bottle, the last time you curl up with them for there afternoon nap, the last time to comb their hair etc. This book really made me reflect on the life of my children and how I really need to cherish each moment. Even though life gets buys and we don't take to to stop and slow down, we really need to...I need to! Before I know it my boys will be in school full time, then off to middle school, then high school. They will be driving and going on dates, and applying for colleges. Then there will come the day they turn from teenagers into men and leave the home they grew up in. I hope that when they leave, that they will always return. In the meantime I hope and pray I can cherish the time we have together. Share the good times and bad, the laughs and the tears. If you haven't read this book...YOU MUST! I am going to pick it up for myself as soon as I can.

Today I attempted to work on my sister's wedding album. Man am I out of the scrapbook loop or what! I took me an hour to complete the simplest page I have ever done. I think I am out of practice...or maybe I need more supplies to work with. Who knows..I think my scrapping mojo is totally lost. I need some inspiration and some solutions that will help me get this album done quick. The wedding is in less than 4 weeks and there is still SO much to do. So if any of you have some scrappin fairy dust, sprinkle some and me! LOL!

It Is All In Your Attitude...

How happy or miserable you are in life really comes down to your attitude. It really doesn't matter what situation you are faced with, how you handle it really is determined by your attitude. I'm sure you know of someone in your life that is very optimistic, always has something positive to say, and always looks on the bright side of situations. They look at their glass as being half full instead of being half empty. Then there are people who are always negative, they are depressed and have no hope of a brighter tomorrow. Lately, I have been finding myself somewhere in the middle but leaning more to the negative side. Life hasn't been very easy or pleasant for me, or atleast that is how I have been seeing it. I don't want to focus on the negative, I have had a change of heart and have decided that I need a major attitude change.

On Sunday I introduced the song "You Can Make Your Pathway Bright," from the LDS song book. It is all about attitude and how we can make life happier by out attitude. It hit me, that I control how happy or unhappy I am. Now I know that being completely happy 100% of the time is a very unrealistic thing to happen, but I can try and have a more positive attitude in general. So that is MY challenge. Look more on the positive side, see my glass as half full instead of empty. I know that this attitude change won't come over night, but gradually and with help from a more divine power than my own, I know that I can make a more positive change in my life.

Tonight for Family Home Evening I had a lesson on just that...being happy. I presented Tyson with 2 characters, Miserable Mack and Happy Henry. Each one was faced with different situations where they could make a happy choice or a miserable choice. Tyson seemed to grasp the concept. At the end of the lesson I presented a challenge to him, if he could be a Happy Henry all week until Saturday then we could do something special as a family. He chose to have movie night together, complete with a movie picked by him, popcorn, treats, and his favorite POP. This will be a challenge for my little 4 year old who has been struggling lately with obeying and listening. For every time he isn't happy he gets a body part taken away from Happy Henry. He can earn them back by being extra good, but it will be harder. At the end of the week if all the pieced to Happy Henry are on the fridge, then we have movie night...and if not...we don't. Tyson fully understands the rules, now I hope we have a successful week. I guess we will see.

Life

Life, it has many steep hills to climb, and many slippery slopes to get down. There are hairpin curves that we get thrown from time to time. Once in awhile you are on a nice long straight stretch when life seems to be going okay. But those long stretches don't seem to last very long. Life isn't easy, and it wasn't mean to be, but sometimes it seems too hard, and too challenging. I am having one of those days today... even one of those weeks. I have never had a complete meltdown, where the tears start to flow and I let all my emotion out. I seem to keep it bottled in and my head starts to think about all the possible scenarios of how to make life better. How life would be better if Tyler were to quit his job and find something where he could be home more. I find myself envying those women whose husbands have a 9 to 5 job, and whom are home on weekends. Whose jobs don't require them to cut there holidays short because they have a staff shortage. I find myself thinking about all the time my boys are missing with their dad because of his work load. and I have been finding myself thinking of the blessings I don't have, instead of counting the many bounteous blessings we have been given.

Today I came very close to letting my emotions get the best of me, and it would have been at church, which wouldn't have been very good. I found myself yet again taking the kids to church by myself. And it can be trying on the best of days, but today was not MY day. Carson was being a little terror and wouldn't co-operate. Then we couldn't find a seat in the chapel because people won't scoot to the middle of the row so others can sit on the outside. So we didn't have a place to sit other than in the gym, which made the kids even more rambunctious. I just couldn't take it, and my nerves were shot. So after 20 minutes I packed them up and we left. I could tell that a few other ladies new I was stressed out. They expressed to me that they understood and they too at times have felt the same way I do. I really feel though that I am the only women who has thoughts of packing a suitcase, getting a passport and leaving to somewhere tropical for a vacation by myself, letting my husband deal with EVERYTHING! I often feel unappreciated with all that I have to do, and all that I do accomplish. I know that Tyler works hard, and I appreciate that he is a hard worker and that he is a good provider, but I honestly don't think men understand just how much WE do! Maybe I am finding that if he would express his thankfulness more often it would make it worth it. The kids don't give me any positive reaction or praise for all I do, so the only person I can get it from is Tyler, and he really has been lacking in this area. I know that the storm rages before it calms down, and I am just wondering when this storm I am in is ever going to cease. I keep trying to tell myself that I am doing the best I can, that I can endure a little longer...but how long?

Sorry that this post wasn't very encouraging, but I felt it might do me good to get my feelings down. :) Here is to better days and brighter tomorrows. My mom always told me that it would be better in the morning, and it was.

1st Day Of Pre-School!

My baby is no longer a baby, he is a Pre-Schooler! Today was Tyson's very 1st day of Pre-school. He was SO excited, and couldn't wait to put on his Spiderman backpack and walk to school. He did ask me if he could ride a school bus. I had to tell him that he didn't need to ride a school bus because he lives across the street from the school. Only kids who live a long way away need to ride the bus. After that he was happy to walk with Carson and I. I could see the excitement in everything he did on the way to school. From how fast he was walking, to the skip in his step, the loudness of his voice, and the anticipation that I was hearing. He was EXCITED! It gives me such joy to see my children this happy. I took a few pictures of him in front of the school. He told me he didn't like pictures, and I said, "We have to get some pictures because you will never have a VERY 1st day of school again, this day is very special." After that he agreed. When we got to the school he RAN to his class. He went right in with no hesitation. Then he remembered the book order and wanted to give that to Miss Rita. He then sat down at a table and began doing a puzzle. He wasn't scared or hesitant AT ALL! That's my boy. I reminded him about using his manners and his inside voice, and to raise his hand when he wanted to speak. He kept telling me, "I know mom." So after a quick kiss I left. I knew he was in safe hands and that he felt comfortable.

When I picked him up 3 hours later he was so excited he could hardly speak to me. He told me the "rules" of his class, that they were to leave their name tags there when they went home, and that if they had to go to the bathroom, and adult had to go with them. He was happy about the day, and can't wait to go back next week. This is sure a mile stone in his life, and in mine also. It is an exciting time for our family!

Know Of Any Remedies For...

I'm afraid that the Pilling household has a case of the bed wetting 4 year old. I feel bad for the little guy that his little bladder can't make it through the night. But I have to admit that I am getting really tired of washing his bedding every morning. It doesn't matter what I do or how many times I take him to the bathroom before I go to bed, he still ends up wet. So does anyone have any advice for me? I would greatly appreciate it. My DH suggested that we set an alarm at 3 a.m. so that he will learn to get up and go on his own. I don't usually wake up in the middle of the night, but I may just have to for a few nights to get Tyson in the habit of waking up and going to the bathroom. I am willing to try anything! I think the little man is cluing in that I'm not very happy about the situation because early this morning I heard him getting into his drawers putting on clean underwear and p.j. bottoms. Then when I went to find his sheets they were hidden under his bed. Poor little guy!

On another Tyson note...I was ready to WRING his neck today. I took the boys to Super Store for pictures, they both looked SO cute. They were in plaid shirts, with sweaters over the top. People probably thought I was CRAZY to have my kids dressed in these hot clothes, it was +27 here today. Oh well they looked darling...or cool as Tyson would say. Anyway, the little stinker would NOT obey or co-operate. He was doing all these crazy, silly faces and wouldn't listen to the photographer. I tell ya, he was really testing my patience. I told Tyler tonight on the phone that if I wasn't in a public place I would have given him a spanking. I tried to remain calm and once the fiasco was over I told Tyson I was very displeased with his behavior, and because of it he wasn't getting a treat, and we weren't going to look down the toy isle. Tonight on the phone he told his dad that he was naughty, so that made me think he understood that I wasn't pleased with is behavior.

Well I started my great scrapbook clean out! It feels great! I have a HUGE pile of paper that I know I'm not going to use, it is still cute and hip, but when I looked at it if it didn't "speak" to me, then it went in the pile. I hate to think of the $$ that is in that pile. Oh well, why let it take up room if it isn't going to get used. As I mentioned I was going to do a RAK, well I have decided to donate my unwanted supplies to a local charity or organization. I was thinking the Boys & Girls club might be able to put it to good use. So sorry girls, no RAK for you...I hope you understand. I can see the top of my work area now, and the paper is all neat and tidy. I think I know what I am going to work on 1st, a prima music box I bought in MAY when I was in Chicago. It is SO darn cute. Stay tuned for pictures!

I Feel VERY Inspired!

Oh My Goodness...I was browsing some blogs tonight and now...I feel totally inspired. Bring on the scrapbooking. I actually feel giddy, and excited to tackle the piles of pictures that have been collecting on my desk over the past 3 months! I have decided that I am going to do a few things to put me in the mood to start scrappin again.

1. I am going to re-organize my scrap space. I don't feel that it is homey enough for me. It doesn't invite me to sit down and create.

2. I want to paint my scrapbook room. This may take awhile before it gets done, but it is on the list.

3. I want to display some of the projects I have done. No sense keeping things hidden in a closet.

4. And lastly, I am going to CLEAN SWEEP ALL my supplies and do a RAK.

I can't wait. I have so many great products to give away. Why keep them if they aren't being used right?? Stay tuned for a quiz all about ME. You could win the RAK prize. I guarantee it will be GOOD :)

I wanted to share a few blog site with you tonight. These are the sites that have inspired me to GET CREATIVE!

Leah Fung oh my goodness this girl ROCKS! Her style it totally like mine, I love every project of hers. 1st on my list to try of hers it the Rolodex project. What a stinkin CUTE idea. I think I will do one for birthdays in my family, or my favorite recipes. It would be GREAT to keep the Rolodex of my favorite recipes out on my counter instead of diggin through my drawer to find what I am looking for.

Page Maps This is SUCH a cool site. They have awesome sketches for layouts. I think that is where I need the inspiration. This site will give you just that!

So there you have it. I feel rejuvenated and ready to scrapbook once again. Hopefully in the next few days I can get organized and then I can tackle that mound of photos.

Can you believe that Christmas is only 111 days away! Yes only 111! WOW! Just thought I would through that in there for you tonight. Don't get all in a panic though...you have plenty of time! LOL!

I Am...UnCREATIVE!

Where has my creativity gone? Where has my passion gone for the hobby I love so much? It has literally been months since I have sat at my scrap desk and produced anything! I have attempted several times to scrapbook the pictures I took of our exchange student, but nothing became of it. I feel guilty as I see all the photos I have taken over the summer...they are staring at me begging to be made into something beautiful. Why can't I "get into it?" Is it because when I walk into the scrapbook store I feel totally overwhelmed at what I see? Or is it because I look at all my "old" supplies and can't get excited about using them. I think it is a combination of all of these things. I MUST get my creativity or MoJo back. I feel lost, guilty, and very uncreative at the moment. I purchased a few things last night at the LSS with the intent of making something today...did that get done? NO! I sit here with the Heidi Swapp Fall frame kit that I bought and haven't done a thing with it. My intentions are good...but they aren't producing ANYTHING. Okay enough rambling and complaining. My goal is that once Tyson starts pre-school and we get into a routine I will have 3 hours in the afternoon to work on some projects. Carson will be napping and I will have "me" time. I hope that my MoJo slowly creeps back to me before then. I hope the scrapbook fairies will sprinkle some magic dust on me to help me feel like creating once a gain. Until then...I'm afraid not much is going to get done. I will continue to admire beautiful Lo's on other blogs and websites, and dream about the day when I finally make something that brings a smile to my face. Enough Said!

I Think I Am In Love...

Last night after Tyler and I enjoyed a very yummy dinner at The Keg (it has been months since just the 2 of us went out to a nice restaurant), I went to my LSS. WOW has that store ever changed. I haven't been in there in quite some time, I'm afraid I haven't been in the scrapbooking mood, anyway the store looks awesome! So many fun and new projects. Now on to my point, I noticed the new Provo Craft Cricut. I remember seeing it debut at the trade show awhile back and it was ALL the hype. Now I finally got to see what this little machine could do. WOWZERS! I am in love. For all of you who have painstakingly been hand cutting out letters or words with your scissors or exacto knife, PUT THEM DOWN and run out and buy a Cricut! I usually don't follow the high priced trends of scrapbooking, but this is an item I could see myself investing in for sure. It is a pricy little item, $400 at my LSS. So smart little me decided to look on eBay, the first place I go before purchasing any high priced item. Of course I found it cheaper! Now I will sit and wait patiently until nearly the end of the auction before putting my bid in. Who knows in a few days I may be the proud owner of a NEW Cricut...HOW FUN!

On another note, the weather here has turned colder. It is looking like fall is just around the corner. I even noticed a few leaves starting to turn colors. I LOVE fall. the cool mornings, the changing leaves, the smell of apple cider, and Thanksgiving! I can't believe that next week my baby will be going to pre-school. How quickly time flies by. It is a bitter sweet time in my life, I want him to stay young and innocent under my watchful eye, and yet I want him to learn and grow and gain his own identity. It is an exciting time, and he can't wait to go to school with his Spiderman backpack in tow. The schedules will start and we will get into a routine, something I am looking forward too.

Time to DeJunk!

With the changing of the seasons it always put me in to mood to dejunk my house. I decided at 8:30 p.m. last night that I was going to tackle my closet. I ad clothes in there that were WAY to big, and WAY to small, so why keep them? They were taking up room for potentially NEW clothes. So I started, going through one article at a time, and pulling things off the hangers. By the time I was done I had a HUGE orange garbage bag full of clothes I no longer wanted. Tyler asked me how much $$ I thought was in that bag...I hate to even think about it, but it would have been quite a bit. Oh well, what is the point in keeping the articles if I am not going to wear them. I might as well let my nieces go through and see if there is anything they want, and if not then Good Will I'm sure would be happy to have them. It feels good to have cleaned my closet out. Now I can think of 100 other places that need to be dejunked, here are a few that need immediate attention.

1. Tyler's dresser
2. Kid's closets
3. Telephone desk
4. Linen closet
5. Tupperware cupboard

Oh that reminds I did manage to clean out our coat closet as well and get all the shoe organized. And now there are NO dust bunnies hiding in there. It has been AGES since I cleaned in there. Now I am embarrassed at how bad my housekeeping skills are. My sister has told me in the past that on the surface my house looks very clean and tidy, but don't go opening and closets or drawers. I have to admit...she is RIGHT! Well I better go dejunk some more...

Speech Therapist...

Today Tyson had a visit with the speech Therapist, Robin. He needed to be assessed for his pre-school entry. After his pre-school screening back in May (I think) he was considered mild/moderate for speech disability. I had noticed there were consonants that he wasn't pronouncing properly and I was concerned about that. I knew that I should be on top of that and have him assessed.

Over the course of the summer I have noticed MUCH improvement with his speech. I was even beginning to think that he didn't need to be assessed. Although if they have a mild problem then they can get support, and go to pre-school for FREE! Who wouldn't want to save an extra $60 a month? I though it was worth a try.

Today he was assessed and the speech therapist was quite impressed with how he was pronouncing his words. She said he had a few minor problems but I could work with him at home and he should be just fine. He picked up her signals for the "S" (snake sound) very quickly and he would catch himself when he wasn't pronouncing the word properly. So needless to say he won't be going to pre-school for free, but on the upper side he doesn't have any severe or even moderate/mild speech problems. So it is good, we have the money to pay for his pre-school and I can sleep better knowing that with a little extra help from me his speech with be perfect in no time!

1st Trip To The Dentist!

Today was Tyson's 1st trip to the Dentist. He was quite nervous and was anticipating when he would have to get his teeth drilled. I asked him why he thought he would have to get his teeth drilled and he said that he learned that from one of his books on tape. I explained to him that for today he was only going to have a check up first to see how good his teeth were. I kept encouraging him and telling him that he was a very brave boy and that he would see that there was nothing to be afraid of the dentist for.

The time came for Tyson to go back with Dr. Rice's assistant for his check up. He showed lots of courage and confidence. The assistant was awesome! She made Tyson feel so comfortable. She showed him the chair and how it moved up and down and forward and back, and then how it layed down. When she layed him down she told him to look up and to tell her what he saw. He was happy to tell her that he saw the t.v. She then asked him what t.v. show he wanted to watch, and he announced, "A bad guy show!" So we found a show that both Tyson and I could agree on, the Backyardagains. He got to put the head phones on so he could hear his t.v. program, and he felt right at home. Then she showed him her special mirror which helped to look at his teeth, and also her tooth counter. She counted all 20 of his teeth and kept commenting on how nice and clean they were. Then Dr. Rice came in and was so friendly, and made Tyson feel special by asking him about his birthday and how old he is. He then looked at his teeth and told me that his teeth are GREAT! There is lots of space for the permanent teeth to come in, and he anticipates that his teeth will be fairly straight. Tyson was then rewarded with a Power Rangers toothbrush and then got to go to the prize box and pick a prize. He was so happy and I was so proud of him for behaving so well! It was a positive experience and that put Tyson's mind at ease about visiting the dentist. In 9 months he will get them checked and cleaned again. I know Tyson won't have any worries next time.

Things You May or May Not Have Known About ME...

I got an email from my sister today with these questions. Of course they had her answers to the questions. I had fun reading her answers and learning a little more about her. You would think that you should or would know everything about your sister, but I guess I didn't. So here are my answers. If you like copy and paste the questions into your blog and fill in the questions. It is so fun to learn more about other people.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:36 Carson woke up...and then woke me up.

2. Diamonds or Pearls? Diamonds

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Step Up. I went with my niece's and sister in law. It was a cute show.

4. Favorite TV show? Oh man I can't pick just one, here are a few of my fav's. Grey's Anatomy, Big Brother All Stars, and So You Think You Can Dance. GO BENJI GO!!

5. What did you have for breakfast? NOTHING! I am not a huge breakfast eater. I know that is bad.

6. What is your middle name? ReNae, after my mom.

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Thai of Mexican

8. What foods do you dislike? Hmmm, my dad concoction of macaroni and tomatoes with lots of brown sugar! YUCK!

9. Your favorite Potato chip? Doritos Nacho, or Mrs. Vicki's Sea Salt and Malt vinegar.

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? I can't remember the last time I bought a CD. But I do like the new Rascal Flatts and also Miranda Lambert.

11. What kind of car do you drive? Grand Prix GTP

12. Favorite sandwich? Ham and Cheese loaded with all the fixins.

13. What characteristics do you despise? Liars, I really don't see what the point to lying is. You just get tangled up in a web and you can't get out.

14. What are your favorite clothes? Jeans or yoga pants.

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you NOT go? Europe for sure.

16. Favorite brand of clothing? I don't really have a favorite brand. I will buy anything that I think is cute. From Walmart, to Old Navy, Gap, Reitmans, Suzy Shier, or Sirens.

17. Where would you want to retire to? Somewhere warm and sunny, but not too far from home.

18. Favorite time of day? Evening, after the kids are asleep.

19. Where were you born? Cardston, AB

20. What is your favorite sport to watch? Hmmm...not really a sports watcher. I do like figure skating, or the Olympics when they are on.

21. Pepsi or Coke? Definitely COKE

22. Beavers or Ducks? Beavers, they are a Canadian symbol :)

23. Are you a morning person or night owl? Not really either.

24. Pedicure or Manicure? Pedicures for SURE!

25. What did you want to be when you were little? A Marine Biologist.

26. What is your best childhood memory? Hmmm hard to choose just one, but I would have to say any activities done with my family.

27. Just my ears, but I used to have my belly button done when I was in High School.

28. Ever been to Africa? Nope, and I have no interest in going there.

29. Ever been toilet papering? OH YEAH!

30. Been in a car accident? Several, one where I totaled the side of My DH's truck, and a few other minor fender benders that weren't my fault.

31. Favorite day of the week? When I was working it used to be Friday, now that I am a SAHM, everyday is the same.

32. Favorite restaurant? The Keg, or Chili's

33. Favorite flower? Wild flowers. I really don't care for roses though, they are too traditional for me.

34. Favorite ice cream? PC's Blueberry with Cheesecake chunk's.

35. Favorite fast food restaurant? McDonald's or Taco Bell.

36. How many times did you fail your drivers test? None.

37. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? I don't think I could choose just one store, but if I had to maybe Cosco

38. Bedtime? Between 10 and 11

39. Last person you went out to dinner with? My sister in law Cheryl and her girls.

40. What are you listening to right now? Nothing it is peaceful and quite in my house.

41. What is your favorite colour? RED!

42. How many tattoos do you have? Zippo

43. Favorite magazine? Paper Crafts Magazine

Shinobu..Our Japanese Friend for LIFE!

If you ever get the opportunity to have an exchange student in your home...DO IT! I was the best experience for our family. On July 31st we had a 13 year old Japanese girls come to live with us for 10 days. Her name is Shinobu Otsuki. Immediately when we were introduced to her I was impressed and surprised with how outgoing she was. Coming to a foreign country where you can hardly speak the language I would have thought she would have been very shy and reserved, but she proved to be quite the opposite. Japanese people are very polite, and Shinobu lived up to this reputation. She seemed to be quite comfortable right from the moment we brought her home. We were informed by her instructor and guide that she had a bit of the stomach flu and she might not feel up to eating much for the next few days. This proved to be the case, but Shinobu was very happy and never let on that she wasn't feeling 100%.

After showing her around our home and hearing her comments like, "Wow..very big, and so nice," it made me feel good to see that she was happy with where she would call "home" for the next 10 days. She was thrilled with her own large room with a queen sized bed, and loved her own bathroom. We let her call home to speak to her mother, and that seemed to ease any fears she may have had. I was impressed with her ability to communicate with us. Her English was quite well for her age. I was informed by others who have been host families in the past that sometimes it has been very difficult to communicate. I didn't get that impression with Shinobu, and I felt quite at ease with the stranger we had living with us.

During the day from 8:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. Shinobu attended school at the Maranatha Christian School on the West side of Lethbridge. We had arranged car pooling with 2 other families from Coaldale who were also host families. I was assigned pick up of the 3 kids. I was kind of relieved that I didn't have to entertain her all day long, that took alot of the burden off of me. I was excited to share Canada with her. It was so fun asking her questions about Japan and getting to know more about Shinobu. She is a great girl with a wonderful personality and spunk for life and learning. She got along great with the kids, and Carson especially was fond of her. I kind of felt bad for her though because Tyson kept asking her SO many questions I'm sure her brain wasn't computing all the info he was throwing at her. He was asking her if she liked rollercoasters, and waterslides to ninja turtles and spider man. He was quite the kid with her, and he didn't hold anything back.

While she was here I tried my best to give here a true taste of Canada, but I quickly found out that she had been exposed to so much "Western" culture back in Japan. Pizza, McDonald's, and ice cream sundaes were nothing new for her. Although she did try licorice and didn't really like it. We took her to Waterton National Park for the day and she loved it there. In Japan they aren't used to seeing wide open spaces, and spacious mountain peaks. We also went to my inlaws ranch and Shinobu was able to ride a horse and milk a goat. I think she really enjoyed herself, and I know that we enjoyed having her in our home!

Calaway Park...SO MUCH FUN!

I have discovered another thing about Tyson...he is a DARE DEVIL! We went to Calaway Park, for the first time EVER, and the kids had a BLAST! There wasn't a ride that Tyson wouldn't go on, except for the ones that he was too short for, but if he could have he would have gone on those too. He loved every minute of it. He was go...go...GO...all day long. He was one tired boy though when we got back to the car. Even little Carson enjoyed going on the carousel. His eyes would get SO big when the horse went up and down. It brings such joy to me to see my kids having fun and enjoying life.

It has been a tradition for our friends (Cook's, and Douglas's) to go to Calaway with their kids every summer. This is the first summer we have been able to go with them. We all enjoyed each others company and had such a great time watching the kids take in the thrilling rides. Stacey and Becky are quite the thrill seekers themselves. They went on the roller coaster and the new ride STORM. I, myself only went on one "crazy" ride with Tyson, and that was enough for me. My head just gets all fuzzy and I feel like I'm off balance when I go on rides. I used to love them, but I guess getting older has changed my body and I'm not as tolerable as I used to be.

It was a GREAT day, one that we will do again next summer for SURE. And next year Tyson will be a littler taller and able to go on more rides that will satisfy the dare devil in him.!

Single Parent...

I am feeling VERY alone these days. Tyler has been working in Swift Current ALL week long. I miss him terribly and I am coming to my wits end. He is putting in very long hours working 2 jobs. The promotion he got as Area Supervisor hasn't turned out like I had planned. One of the oil rig operators in Swift broke his collar bone a few weeks ago and will be on disability for several months. So needless to say Tyler has to cover his area working on the rig. So he is doing double duty. He is tired and wants to be home with us, and we want him here with us! It must be draining and tiring for him just like it is for me I am sure.

Taking care of the kids and the whole house by myself is getting me down. I am beginning to feel overwhelmed with all of it. Tomorrow is garbage day so that is yet one more thing on my list I have to do. My flower pots have been neglected and have been suffering for this heat. I have to admit that the dog has gone without food for a day or two as well. So many thing on my plate, I just can't seem to get everything done. I find myself looking forward to the kids bedtime. A time when I can finally unwind and have some peace and quiet. I can't count how many times in a day that I hear the word "Mom, I need..." Somedays those words are music to my ears, and others they aren't. Am I a terrible mother for thinking that? Am I terrible to countdown the hours, minutes, seconds until my children fall asleep? I guess I am just feeling very heavy laden with all the responsibility of being a "single" parent for awhile. I know that this will pass, but when is the question?

While Tyler has been gone it really has made me realize just how much he does for me and the boys. From taking Tyson downtown with him to do an errand, to taking out the garbage faithfully every Monday when he is home, that is such a help. I miss those few extra minutes of sleep in the morning when Tyler gets up with Carson to give him a bottle. Little things like that really make a difference to me, and in those simple acts it really shows me how much I am loved by him. I sure don't take for granted all that he does for me. I hope that I can better show him my appreciation for all that he does. He is the hardest worker I know, and the most dedicated person to his faith and family. I love him, and count my many blessings everyday for God bringing him into my life when I needed him!

My heart goes out to all those women who have no choice but to be a single mother. How they do it everyday is beyond all my comprehension. To have to go to work to support their family, and then come home and have all the household responsibilities in my mind is more than one person can muster by themselves. But so many women do this, and are succeeding in raising wonderful families. They are courageous and strong, when I am sure they have many "alone" times. I am thankful and very fortunate that my "alone" times are short and far between.

I Have Been M.I.A. Now I'm BACK!

Sorry I have been MIA for awhile. We have been busy camping and playing outside, and I have to admit that we have been napping and watching WAY to much t.v. It has been SO hot outside that I just can't bare to go out there in the afternoons. So needless to say Tyson has been able to watch more t.v. and play the computer more than usual. Why haven't I been scrapbooking while being inside? I don't even know the answer to that. I guess I haven't been in the scrapping mood lately. Come fall I will hit it full force again. I will have all those fun summer pictures to do lo's for.

We spent last weekend camping at the Oldman. We went with our good friends the Cook's and Douglas's. There were more kids than adults, which can prove to be challenging, especially when the men leave for 6 hours and go fishing, but we had a great time. It was so fun to play cards all day long in between chasing kids all over and making sure they weren't falling into the raging mountain river that was FREEZING cold. All in the all the kids were good and played well together. Thank goodness though for the outdoor toys I brought. They were a lifesaver, even if they did take up the whole inside of the trailer to bring them. As all the adults were sitting in front of the fire, after ALL the kiddos were finally in bed, we decided that camping is great and these are memories we are making, but man is it a lot of work, but so worth it! I took some really cute pictures of the kids playing in the river stripped down to their underwear. I will share them later as I left the camera in the trailer.

The only downer that we encountered was that the fridge in our trailer went on the fritz. Before it was freezing everything and now it isn't even getting cold. What a PAIN! We managed though to put our perishables in other fridges and we made out okay. Now the 1978 trailer is in the shop getting fixed for our next camping expedition. I guess that is what you get with a 26 year old trailer.

My sisters, mom and I went to Phantom of the Opera on Thursday night. WOW is all I can say. It totally exceeded all of my expectations. The music was so beautiful, the sets amazing, and the acting perfect. It was totally worth all the $$ I spent to be able to go. I had my niece Brooklyn come and watch the kids for me while I went to Calgary. I know it was a very long day for her, but the kids loved having her watch them and she did an awesome job. She was able to stay for a few extra days and I spoiled her while she was here. It was SO fun to have a girl around. I did her hair and makeup and I just loved being girlie with her. Plus I enjoyed her company SO much as Tyler has been working ALL week long in Saskatchewan.

On Monday we are getting an exchange student from Japan. She will be here for 9 days. I think it will be a fun experience. I am looking forward to it. I am hoping to take lots of pictures so that I can make a mini book for her after she leaves. I hope she enjoys her stay while in Canada. I really hope my kids behave and don't drive her totally crazy.

Exhausted!

I am totally exhausted. The morning always seems to come WAY too soon. You would think I would have gotten enough sleep, I usually get 8-10 hours. But still I am tired. Most days I have a nap when the kids nap, and yet I wake up and feel tired. What is wrong with me?? I just feel BLAH... I would love to do a body cleanse but I don't know what one to do. If ANYONE who read my blog knows of anything I could try, I would love the info. Anyway...I'm off to have a NAP!